"The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, chosen by the Legislature thereof for six Years...."

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James Madison, Federalist No. 39:

"The House of Representatives will derive its powers from the people of America; and the people will be represented in the same proportion, and on the same principle, as they are in the legislature of a particular State. So far the government is national, not federal. The Senate, on the other hand, will derive its powers from the States, as political and coequal societies; and these will be represented on the principle of equality in the Senate, as they now are in the existing Congress. So far the government is federal, not national."

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The Seventeenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified 1913:"The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, elected by the people thereof, for six years...."

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America's Party Platform:

"We also call for the repeal of the Seventeenth Amendment. Its enactment greatly reduced the power of our state legislatures and state governments – which are much closer to the people – and damaged our system of federalism."

Yes. Thereby giving state legislatures much more pull when it comes to things like judicial appointments, foreign policy, treaties, etc. As it stands now they're virtually powerless when it comes to the general government in Washington.

'Our liberties we prize and our rights we will maintain.'

Tom Hoefling on Government:

"Just as 'good fences make for good neighbors,' good government is mainly about knowing where the legitimate boundaries are, and having the courage to defend those borders forcefully. This is true in terms of the defense of our territory, our security, and our national sovereignty, but it also applies to the sworn duty of all of those in government to equally protect the God-given, unalienable rights of each individual person, from their creation onward, their sacred obligation to stay well within the enumerated powers of our constitutions, and of the role legitimate government must play in balancing the competing rights and interests of the people, in order to establish justice."